


What We Need More Of Is Science

by psychomachia



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: For Science!, M/M, Mad Scientists, Robots, Trick or Treat: Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 04:53:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16469129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychomachia/pseuds/psychomachia
Summary: What the Courier did on his summer vacation, or how he didn't tell his boyfriend he may have been involved in something out of The Wizard of Oz, only with more robotic scorpions and less singing.There was still singing involved.





	What We Need More Of Is Science

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gayporwave](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayporwave/gifts).



“Minh, we need to talk.”

Arcade rubbed his forehead as his boyfriend cooed over the clearly nefarious and yet irritatingly adorable eyebot that chirped back at him. 

“It's okay, ED-E, I'm sure Rex and Roxie would love to have you over to hang out with the kids while Arcade and I talk.”

ED-E beeped enthusiastically.

“Yeah, they grow up so fast. I was just telling Mobius the other day--”

“Minh?”

“Right, right,” he said. “Go have fun. And don't stay up too late. We got a big day tomorrow, and I don't want Blinky and Pinky to get a head start on us.”

The eyebot of utterly cute malevolence and destruction beeped again and swooshed out the door. 

“Blinky and Pinky?”

“It's what I named two of Mobius's robo-scorpions. Man, those guys are so competitive when it comes to games. You're going to be on my team tomorrow, right, for the Scavenger Hunt? Because I think Klein's planning on cheating by turning on all the pylons and I might have to sabotage him tonight.”

“Hold on,” Arcade said, his headache getting exponentially worse. “This is exactly what I'm talking about.”

“I mean, you don't have to be on my team. I think Borous and Gabe might have room on their team. Or maybe Dala, if you don't mind being asked to breathe heavily every hour.”

“I don't want to do any Scavenger Hunt!”

“Okay, okay. How about the company picnic--”

“No!”

“The sleepover where we tell scary stories and--”

“The only activity I want to do here is push the entire 'Think Tank' off a cliff and drag you back to the Followers so they can figure out a way to put your brain back in your body and you can come to your senses.”

Minh looked sheepish. “So you...uh... know about that?”

Arcade's face turned murderous. “Yes, I know about it. Were you ever planning on telling me about it?”

“Maybe. Some day.” 

“Minh...”

“Okay, probably not. Because I knew you'd panic and really, it's not that bad and hey, the rest of me turned out fine--” He trailed off. 

“The rest of you?” Arcade's eyes narrowed. “What else happened to you?”

“I may have had my spine and heart replaced.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“But everything's fine, and I've checked and it looks like the robotic parts might even function better than my old ones.”

“Oh, yeah, having your brain, heart, and spine ripped out by morally ambiguous—oh, let's not even kid ourselves—insanely evil scientists is a great plan. No wonder your brain thinks you're an idiot.”

“To be fair, my brain is a bit of a dick.”

“At least it's thinking.” Arcade snorted. “Though it's clearly not doing well if it thinks hanging out with someone who created giant murderous insects for fun is a good way to pass the time.”

Minh scratched his head. “I suppose it wouldn't help to tell you he didn't think they had gotten out.”

“No, it really wouldn't.” 

Arcade sighed and sat down on the bed. Mercifully, The Sink seemed to be keeping its mouths shut, though he eyed the toaster suspiciously. 

He shook his head. “Look, I get why you like it here. I'm not going to say that the science isn't astounding or that I've seen some amazing things here. And I know you think you can use it for the good of humanity. But I know where that thinking leads you and I don't want to wake up to find we've got an army with pitchforks and torches at our door.” 

Minh walked over and sat down next to him. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the brain. Or any of it, really. I wanted to. But I knew you'd worry. A lot.”

“And you're not at all concerned?”

“I freaked out when I woke up,” his boyfriend said, smiling wistfully. “I may have tried to smash a few things.”

“Naturally.”

“But I realized after all I went through here, the experiments, the running around, the killing of countless lobotomites and nightstalkers with my really awesome new sonic emitter”--.”

“Which I'm still a little disturbed about.”

Minh patted Arcade's knee. “I realized that I had done all of this with the technology they gave me. And if I could talk down a deluded robobrain from destroying us all with a giant robo-scorpion, win over the Think Tank by appealing to their better natures, and trick Klein into thinking I was Mobius long enough to bring the two of them together to the negotiation table, then there had to be something I could do with the Big MT that didn't involve perversions of science and nature.”

“Ad maius bonum,” Arcade said ruefully. “I suppose nothing can change that about you.”

“Yeah, I still don't know what that means.”

“It means—never mind.” He sighed again. “I guess it means that I want you to be happy. And if it means hanging out with these... brains so that the Mojave can recover, I'll be here to support you.”

“Thank you,” Minh said. “And I promise not to become some sort of mad scientist who unleashes horrible monstrosities upon the wasteland to fulfill his own goals of domination.”

“Oh, please,” Arcade said. “Like Veronica and I couldn't stop you if you tried.”

Minh leaned over and kissed Arcade. After a few minutes, it deepened and they fell back on the bed. Arcade managed to struggle out of his lab coat with one hand as Minh began running his clever fingers up his chest. 

“Minh,” he said, when the kiss broke and they were both left panting. 

“Yes, Arcade?” 

His boyfriend had already removed the top half of his scrubs, leaving him bare-chested and frankly, way too tempting. But still...

“Could we possibly do this somewhere more private?”

“Oh, don't mind me,” purred one of the light switches. “Let me set the mood for you.” The room was suddenly bathed in red. 

“Of course, you would do this, you hussy,” hissed the other light switch. “Maybe they just want to have an intelligent discussion.”

“Ladies, let's not fight,” said Blind Diode Jefferson, as the dulcet strains of “Mad About The Boy” kicked in. “There's enough love to go around.”

“You're not involved!” 

“If I might interject, sirs--”

“BURN THEM ALL!!!”

“I see your point,” Minh said.


End file.
